For many years the Abernathy family, and in particular Allen ‘Pud’ Abernethy has been in possession of a silver cup won by his great uncle's son Private William George Smith (2832).

PTE Smith’s name, service number along with his battalion (55th) and brigade (14th) were engraved on the cup and under it Tug-A-War Champion, St Maxinet (which was actually St Maxent, northern France) and the date 12-11-18.

“We always wondered about being a tug-a-war champion during the World War,” Mr Abernethy said.

“How? Why?”

However, at the time though tug-a-war was an Olympic sport.

“The cup and a piece of what is I suppose nowadays is regarded as trench art, two shells put together with the Australian Coat of Arms and the word Belgium emblazoned on it, belonging to William has been handed down through the family,” Mr Abernethy said.

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The top shell carries the engraving Nov (November) 1916, the number 227 and word Polte (believed to be the brand) and Magdeburg (a central German city on the Elbe River).  On the bottom is the number SP289.

The bottom shell carries the date July 1907 and the location of Dusseldorf along with the engraving RhME 12 and a crown and the number 12.

“We didn't know much about either items,” Mr Abernethy said.

“It appears as those the markings on the shell might have possibly been made by a nail.

“As I understand it, Smith was my father’s uncle's son.

“How it came into our family I don't know.”

Unfortunately the family does not have a photograph of PTE Smith but would love to hear from anyone who does. Even inquires with the Australian War Memorial and the local historical society failed to find a photograph.

The Australian War Memorial did reveal the tug-a-war competition was part of a larger set of games held by the 14th Brigade held between November 2-16 1918.

November 12 was the athletics competition, held at St Maxent.

For the tug-a-war competition each battalion in the brigade put together a team of 10 men to participate, with the 55th Battalion team winning the competition.

Each player in the team was given a trophy, which apparently had a value of one pound.

Competitions like this were common throughout the war.

Soldiers usually spent less than a third of their time in the front lines, the rest of the time they were on working duties or training in the rear, which is where the sporting events occurred.

More information in the second appendix to the 14th Brigade unit diary for November 1918 revealed other sports played included rugby, soccer and Australian Rules, boxing and wrestling and Harriers.

Other events on the athletics program, which was held at the 53rd Battalion’s sports ground St Maxent, included broadjump, relays, mile run, 440 yards, hurdles, 220 yards, 100 yards and cross-country.

There was also a band race, a three-legged race, wrestling on horseback, a mule race and even a bomb throwing event.

In the tug-a-war the rope had to be long enough for teams of 10 and a six foot pull on each side of the centre. There was a time limit of five minutes.

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Round winners were decided in one pull, while the final was best of three.

Private William George Smith was born in Cambewarra and was working as a labourer when he enlisted in August 1915.

He joined the 55th Battalion in Egypt in February 1916.

He would have been involved in the battle of Fromelles, after which he was mistakenly believed to have been taken prisoner.

He was wounded in the right leg on September 26, 1917 at the battle of Polygon Wood, returning to the unit on November 20, 1917.

On April 24, 1918, during the second battle of Villers-Bretonneux, Smith was wounded again, this time by gas.

He did not re-join his unit until September 13, 1918, just in time to see the battalion’s final action during the breaking of the Hindenburg Line at the St Quentin Canal.  

He was returned to Australia in April 1919.